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ON THE STREET; High Steppin' Strutters

The Grand Prix finale of the Hampton Classic horse show in Bridgehampton, L.I. last Sunday provided the more than 15,000 spectators with an additional show: an end-of-summer fashion promenade.

Wide-brimmed straw hats, many of them decorated with silk flowers, ribbons and lace, added a nostalgic topping to ankle-length chalk-white cotton and linen dresses. Some women added vests. Tied around waists: sweaters or faded blue-jeans jackets.

The riders were not the only ones wearing derbies. And one spectator with the ramrod posture of an equestrian replaced the pearl dog collar of the 1980's with a 90's gold-chain choker.

Adding to the nostalgic revival were a few men in rumpled white linen suits, battered straw hats, wing collars and brown-and-white shoes.

If you squinted in the brilliant midday sun, you could almost expect to see Henry James and Edith Wharton.

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A version of this article appears in print on September 6, 1992, on Page 9009003 of the National edition with the headline: ON THE STREET; High Steppin' Strutters. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe